Engine Oil Level depleting rapidly!

This is a discussion on Engine Oil Level depleting rapidly! within Motorbikes, part of the BHP India category; i have a 2003 pulsar 150 dts-i UG1. since the last 4000 or so kms my engine oil seems to ...

i have a 2003 pulsar 150 dts-i UG1. since the last 4000 or so kms my engine oil seems to be depleting rapidly. i had to refill oil entirely after 2000kms!

the bike has run 31000kms till date. only i ride it and i've serviced it regularly at the A.S.S. after a brief inspection they told me that there isn't any white or black fumes coming from the exhaust so that rules out the engine burning any of the oil. the drain bolt and the dip stick have been checked for leakage and that turned out to be negative hit too.

the supervisor there is as puzzled as i am.

can you guys tell me what the problem could be? i use castrol power 1. i've always been using this oil after the free service got over.

P.S - for the guys in chennai, i have been servicing regularly at lakshmi sujee auto, alwarpet or castrol bike zone, royapettah.

PISTON-KIT?!@
oil levels drop to the lowest mark in 1500-1800 kms. its goes wayyy down to the tip of the dip stick in about 2500-3000 kms. its smooth otherwise. i always use premium fuels. do you think that could be a possible issue?

First of all the recommended oil change interval is 2500kms, so you shouldn’t be using the same oil till 3000kms, better yet change oil every ~2000kms.

The Piston ring wear is normal and doesn’t really matter if you use premium fuel for your bike or not. Start checking every couple of hundred kms if there is a drop in oil level or not. If the oil starts reducing before 1000 kms then you need to get the piston and bore changed.

@yogesh - i change my oil mostly at around 2300-2500 kms. this is the first time it has run to 3000 kms. i did this upon the advice of the supervisor who wanted to check it the oil disappears even below the min. mark on the dip stick.

@nitrous - engine rebuild at 30k kms? is that normal? seems pretty quick to me. anyway how much is it going to cost me and where coudl i get it done? since your in chennai you could probably advice me best.

i saw this ad in todays paper about "performance tuning" from castrol.

Forget about reboring, a new piston and bore will cost you 1700-1800 + money for new valves + labor and seals. If nothing else is gone then expect any where between 2200-3000 for the engine rebuild. 30k kms for a single bore and rings is ok.

My pulsar 180 UG3 done 26K kms till now has been drinking too much oil since past 5K kms.The past 500 kms of riding the oil has reduced by as much as 250 ml.My local mechanic is saying that the engine has seized and needs a rebore and a new piston.Whereas the Bajaj service center says that valve lapping is to be done.Who is correct and what is the proper solution for this problem?

Also the mechanic said my engine has seized,but the bike has never stopped suddenly due to seizing nor has there been a drop in performance.It easily 110+ kmph .Gurus please guide me to a proper solution.I am planning to get the repair done this weekend.

The valve seating re-lapping is worth a 1st check/try. If that doesnt work than you can then push for bore/piston change. My 2004 1st version DTSi needed the same lapping work since its perf came down a bit and the engine noise became more of a clatter.

Which service center are you using till date? On another forum/website 'bangalorebikers' (especially for the 220 pulsar bikes) they recomend 'AutoService' in banashankari. I used their service and I found them very competent, you can get personal care since it is NOT a very large place and they can accomodate no more than 15-20 bikes a day.

NO 37 28TH CROSS ,
BSK IIND STAGE
(080) 26711132, 26712774 , 26622626

Read this for more info on biking queries in bangalore, I found it very useful.

The valve seating re-lapping is worth a 1st check/try. If that doesnt work than you can then push for bore/piston change. My 2004 1st version DTSi needed the same lapping work since its perf came down a bit and the engine noise became more of a clatter.

Which service center are you using till date? On another forum/website 'bangalorebikers' (especially for the 220 pulsar bikes) they recomend 'AutoService' in banashankari. I used their service and I found them very competent, you can get personal care since it is NOT a very large place and they can accomodate no more than 15-20 bikes a day.

NO 37 28TH CROSS ,
BSK IIND STAGE
(080) 26711132, 26712774 , 26622626

Read this for more info on biking queries in bangalore, I found it very useful.

I get my bike serviced at RV bajaj on mysore road.They are ok ok.I have heard good things about auto service banshankri

Googled some info on valve lapping and its basically smoothning the seat and the inlet/outlet vales.But does a wrongly seated valve consume oil?AFAIK valves in the head can no way suck in the oil from below the bore!.

So i am feeling its probably bore or the piston.Experts please shed some light on it!

If there's no smoke in your exhaust, the head is the next place to look. Valves (especially the exhaust) are exposed to extreme temperatures and stresses, which cause wear. They're cooled by circulating engine oil. Worn valve/seat can cause leakage of this oil. This is probably the cause of the dropping oil level. Get valves checked. If there's smoke in your exhaust, it could mean oil leaking past the piston rings. Get valves checked at AutoService (recommended by quite a few folks), should solve your problem. Let us know how it goes.

If there's no smoke in your exhaust, the head is the next place to look. Valves (especially the exhaust) are exposed to extreme temperatures and stresses, which cause wear. They're cooled by circulating engine oil. Worn valve/seat can cause leakage of this oil. This is probably the cause of the dropping oil level. Get valves checked. If there's smoke in your exhaust, it could mean oil leaking past the piston rings. Get valves checked at AutoService (recommended by quite a few folks), should solve your problem. Let us know how it goes.

Cheers
Rahul

Rahul,there is no white smoke from the exhaust even when redlining.Will get new set of valves and get lapping done.One question-Is it better to get it done at a local mechanic or at Bajaj itself?Local mechanic is quoting Rs.1000 and Bajaj service is quoting Rs1800.Are the prices ok?

I'm guessing the Rs.1800 doesn't include the price of the valves etc? An ASC is always a safer choice, especially when its a difference of just 800 bucks. Most Bajaj ASCs have received mixed reviews, but I would second svsantosh's opinion on AutoService Banashankari.